Iceland’s Gay Pride Festival

Given Iceland’s well-known acceptance of the LGBT community, it may not be surprising that this tiny country holds one of the best gay pride celebrations in the world. In a country of just over 300,000 people, nearly 100,000 locals and visitors show up on the second weekend of August to support the gay community of Iceland.

Iceland has been one of the most progressive countries when it comes to LGBT issues. In 1996, same-sex couples were granted the right to have registered partnerships, which gave them the same rights as married couples when it came to adoption and parenting issues. In June 2010, a unanimous vote in Parliament made Iceland the ninth country in the world to legalize gay marriage.